


Mixed Emotions Gorillaz Short

by jadistmt



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Drunkenness, Father-Daughter Relationship, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Other, Phase Two (Gorillaz)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-18 09:30:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21508888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadistmt/pseuds/jadistmt
Summary: It seems like any other night and Noodle wanders Kong studios and hears someone crying.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 50





	Mixed Emotions Gorillaz Short

Kong Studios was a notable household, especially a notable one to grow up in. The walls, covered in graffiti and other crazy decoration, the chimney stuffed with bodies and lost souls… and the smell. The horrid, horrid smell. Despite all of the crazy, young Noodle found solitude in her little slice of the world. She had just designed a killer new album, she had great music partners and family, and hey, although the building was fucked up, Noodle came to love the place. There was somehow always more to explore.  
Noodle layed comfortably on a couch in one of the many hallways on the upper ground. She quietly sketched out some musical ideas. She took a minute to listen. She was sure she could hear something. Down the hallway she could hear the running of a shower. It was no big deal, she thought, and she went back to her paper. But it wasn’t just the shower. Noodle could hear someone crying. They were mumbling to themself through sobs. 

The bathroom door creaked open, and Noodle’s face was hit by thick, hot steam and a startled yell. Noodle expected to see the outline of a tall man, blue hair… but it wasn’t. From behind the closed curtain she saw Murdoc leaning against the back wall, water pouring down on his raven black hair. Sitting there, fully clothed. He looked like he was asleep, beside the strained, deep breaths he was letting out. Noodle’s hand rested uneasily on the doorknob as she closed the door behind her. She walked toward the shower and decided to open the curtain. Murdoc hid his face in his arms and tried to control his upset breathing. Noodle was not used to seeing Murdoc like this. She was used to the confident, narcissistic facade. That angry man that wouldn’t ever let up, defending his ego and never letting himself look weak. Inevitably, there he was, having a breakdown... taking a clothed shower.  
“Hey, Murdoc,” Noodle finally greeted. There was no response from him. She reached in and turned off the water and sat down on the side of the tub.  
“Please talk to me. Are… are you crying?” She poked at him again, trying to get any sort of response.  
“It-It’s just the water.” By the sound of his voice, Noodle knew very well he was drunk as well as upset.  
She let out a shaky sigh, trying to collect herself. She stood herself back up and approached Murdoc and let out her hand. He looked up at her, his eyes red and puffy, all of his hair plastered to his face and dripping water. He silently shook his head at the offer of her help and went to cover his face again.  
“Murdoc, come on. Please.” She had reached her limit. Seeing him like this was breaking her.  
He wiped the hair out of his face and sniffed. He leaned forward and backward, contemplating. Finally, he reached out to grab her hand, putting the other one on the edge of the bathtub and pulling himself up off of the bottom. He got himself up almost a foot before losing his balance and falling back down. Noodle rushed to try to check him to see if he was alright.  
“I’m f-fine let me try that again.” Murdoc said through his tired breathing.  
“No, no. I’m getting 2-D to help me. I’ll be right back.”  
“I don’t want that idiot to--!” He bursted out, but by the time he could voice his opinion Noodle ran out the door, and out to get 2-D.  
2-D and Russel were actually in the studio room, listening to some things. Russel was arranging some beats. Noodle shot in, obviously upset.  
“2-D, can you come help me get Murdoc up. He’s stuck.” Noodle pleaded.  
“What? The old man lost his legs now?” Stuart cracked, sounding a little resentful. Russel looked up from his work.  
“Noodle, don’t get caught up with Murdoc’s mess. He’ll be okay.” Russel retorted.  
“I know, Russel, but he's really worrying me. He was in the bathroom we never use taking a shower with all of his clothes on and crying. He can't stand.” Her voice was shaky and urgent.  
Seeing how she was obviously upset, Russel took on a face of sympathy, for Noodle's sake.  
“Go on, 2-D. Help her out.” He said, defeated by the sad little girl in front of him.  
“What? Are you kidding me?” 2-D caught a glance of Noodle's curving frown.  
“I mean, of course I'll help, Noodle. Just this once.”  
…  
They made their way up the stairs and into the bathroom. Noodle opened the door to hear Murdoc's drunken clamoring.  
“It's brooooken!” He sang out as he swayed his head, his body still sitting against the back wall.  
“Our looove... it's brooooken--” Murdoc hazily looked up through some more tears to see 2-D and Noodle observing his behaviour.  
“We're gonna help you up, Murdoc, okay?” Noodle informed.  
“Don't judge it too much, it's still in the works!” Murdoc blurted as Noodle and 2-D (hesitantly) lent out their hands for support. He reached out for the hands, grabbing 2-D’s but swinging and missing Noodle's hand at the first go.  
“Okay, on the count of three, we're going to hoist you up. You need to push with your legs.” Noodle said.  
“Alright, alright,” Murdoc replied in his broken cockney.  
“Three… two… one!” The young girl and her blue haired friend lifted the man up off of the ground. He stumbled in the bathtub for a moment, still soaking wet. He was humming very loudly.  
“He's in worse condition than I thought,” 2-D added. “Do you want me to stay and help?”  
“I don't trust him around you like this. I can handle him, it's okay.” Noodle assured him. He gave her a slight nod, and looked back at the grumbling man before making his final exit from the bathroom.  
Noodle guided Murdoc out of the shower onto the bathmat. He tried to sit down on the edge of the tub but she helped him to stay standing. She rummaged through the cabnet under the sink and found a towel amongst the mess. Carefully, she wrapped it around Murdoc, and he clung onto the fabric like he was begging for the comfort.  
She grabbed one of Murdoc's arms from over the towel and guided him down the hallways to her room. Murdoc was quietly sniffling all the way.  
In a collaborative effort, Murdoc was able to sit down on Noodle’s bed with a towel still wrapped around his body.  
“I'm going to go find you a new shirt.” Noodle said. She opened her closet. She knew none of her clothes would fit Murdoc, but she had something in mind that might. After rifling through the hangers, she found it. It was an old short-sleeved Black Sabbath shirt, red all over with black print saying the band's name. Noodle took it off the hanger and brought it back over to her bed. She held it out for Murdoc to see.  
“Where did that come from?” He as slurred his words as he spoke.  
“You gave it to me when I first showed up at Kong. When I didn't have anything. You gave it to me to sleep in, remember?” Noodle tried to recover his memory, but it wasn't much use.  
“That doesn’t sound like me.” He said as he admired the shirt.  
A few minutes later Noodle searched in some other rooms for some pants for Murdoc to change into. They seemed comfortable enough. When she got back into her own room, Murdoc was still where she left him, shivering, but it wasn't because he was cold. She handed him the pants she found and left the room once again so he could change.  
“Noodle--” he called through the closed doorway.  
She opened the door a crack. He had changed his pants (leaving the wet pair strewn to the floor) but the wet long sleeve shirt sat stuck half way off of his body. She eased his arms out of the sleeves and pulled the rest of the shirt over his head, messing up his hair so it stuck up each way.  
“Why are you helping me?” He choked out. Pain was present in his voice.  
She weakly smiled. “Sometimes we just need someone to lift us out of that hole.” She explained.  
Noodle helped Murdoc put the new red shirt over his head and he pulled it the rest of the way over his torso. She ruffled the towel over his damp hair, and it laid more flat. It even had a little bit of a curl to it. Noodle hated seeing him like this… so helplessly drunk he couldn't get a thought out one way or another. She was just glad he wasn't crying anymore. Noodle walked over to the head end of her bed and pulled the covers back. She collected the wet clothes and towel and put them in a hamper. Murdoc instinctively found his way under the covers and laid comfortably on the bed. Noodle took a few extra blankets out from her closet and grabbed one of the pillows from her bed, and made herself a place on the floor.  
The light was turned off and the two laid in silence, Noodle still trying to make heads or tails of why Murdoc was upset in the first place. She could hear him quietly humming, rugged and exhausted as it sounded. It was calming for the both of them, and soon both of them slipped away into sleep.  
…  
The next morning, gloomy light shown itself through the window panes and across Murdoc's vision. For a moment he laid awake with his eyes closed, enjoying the environment of the early morning. He wasn't used to waking up at that hour. He then realized he was not in his own bed, and his eyes shot open. He leaned up in his place and scanned his surroundings. Suddenly, he was struck with a groggy, heavy, pulsing headache. It ran down his neck and spread through what seemed like his entire skull. He understood the fact that he was hungover. He also understood that he was in Noodle's room.  
“Shit…” he whispered to himself. He tried to piece together what happened the night before. It seemed like a distant memory.  
Murdoc could immediately assume why he started drinking. He remembered getting in the shower. He didn’t remember getting out of the bathtub. He didn't remember going to sleep.  
Briefly, he looked down at himself. He grabbed at the red t-shirt he found himself wearing and weakly smiled. Over the right side of the bed he saw Noodle, sleeping soundly on the hard ground. Her face was calm and innocent. The bangs that usually covered her eyes were swept one way and Murdoc could actually see her eyes.  
Noodle shuffled in her spot for a moment and lightly opened her own eyes, to see Murdoc staring at her. She quickly sat up and brushed the hair back in her face. For a moment Murdoc could see the green in her iris.  
“How are you doing, Murdoc?” Noodle asked, sincerely.  
“I've got a banger of a headache, but I can't complain much.” He said back.  
A few minutes later the two of them were sat at the end of Noodle's bed, trying to put the puzzle of the previous night together.  
“I've never seen you drunk like that in all of my years of knowing you.” Noodle started.  
Murdoc shifted his eyes across the floor uncomfortably.  
“You know how they say 'drink to forget, but you always remember’?” He asked. She gave him a slight nod and put her hand over his to comfort him.  
“I think that's what I was going for.” He continued.  
“Noodle, some things you can forget. Move on, you know? I have some things I wish… that I… it tears me up inside.” He sounded vulnerable. He was stuttering to find words. Noodle knew how rarely he opened up.  
“Murdoc, can you promise me something?” Noodle asked, looking into Murdoc's eyes.  
“Sure, what do you mean?” He clarified.  
“If you ever get that way again, I need you to come and talk to me. You're like family to me! I want you to be able to feel happy. I see through the facade, I know what's going on in you.”  
Murdoc nodded, his face curving in a mix of sadness and gratitude.  
“I promise.”  
“But you have to admit,” she said, grabbing his attention, “You singing in the shower like that was something else!”  
She scrunched her face and briefly stuck out her tongue, to impersonate Murdoc, making devil horns with her index fingers against her head.  
“Broooken!” Noodle growled with a poor cockney accent. “It's broken! Ooh! Look at that I've got something here--broken!”  
Murdoc grinned and glanced back over at Noodle.  
The two of them burst into laughter. Murdoc carried it through his cracking headache. The two of them just sat there laughing for a while.  
Not soon after, Murdoc bid Noodle goodbye and returned to his Winnebago. Thinking the entire way about their promise. About how he couldn't tell her the truth behind it all. He felt like a failure, that's all his father ever told him. The thoughts that haunted him the night before still danced around his hurting mind, but he took a deep breath and focused on what really mattered to him most.  
Gorillaz.


End file.
